Thursday, December 1, 2011


One of my favorite pastimes here in India is shopping, and most of my purchases have been clothing related. So, I figured it wouldn't hurt to show off some of the fantastic clothing items available here in India, so the blog is hosting a fashion show. Unfortunately, all the skinny, anorexic models were unavailable, so I'm filling in. (or filling out, whichever you prefer.) Each day I'll post a pic and a quick description.


Even though the top and dupatta (scarf, I've also heard it called a chadar) are dry clean only, this is still one of my favorite outfits to wear. It helps that dry cleaning can be done here for less than $.50/ per article. I love the purple, and the material is a light silk and synthetic mix that keeps me cool.


The salwar (pants) worn with these were very surprising to me. When I first tried a pair on, I was shocked to find that my leg was too big, despite choosing the size I felt most appropriate. I later discovered that a good portion of the pants material is designed to stay below the knee, much like the 80's era leg warmers in the US. The top portion of the pants are enormous, and soothed my scarred self-esteem.




Here's a photo of the salwar portion of the shalwar kameez (I never have any clue whether my spelling is correct or not). The waistband of the pants is tightened with a drawstring, and the baggy part is covered by the top (which I am not sure what the proper name is?). The outfit is completed with a pair of sandals or heels. It took me a while to get used to these pants; because of the loose fit at the waist, hips, and thighs, it really feels like you forgot pants completely. I find it difficult to bend at the knee sometimes as well, since the pants (at least the ones I own) are made of 100% cotton, and are not stretchy at all. 

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I find I have to go up a size in the pants just to get my giant feet through the leg opening. And yeah, nothing is stretchy.

Rachel

Lorenda said...

Ha! I know. This is the first place I've been where my knees are the "problem area" in clothes. Usually it's hips and thighs.

bawa said...

Lovely outfit, just a small correction: that is not a salwar/shalwar, it is a churridar. (Churris = bangles): can you see how those "legwarmer" folds look like "bangles"?

Salwar is very wide all the way to the bottom, where it ends in a stiff "border".
Just so you know your terminology :)

Lorenda said...

Thank You! I've tried to ask about the names of different clothing related items and I keep getting different answers.

Let me know if you ever want to do a guest post on the different types of ethnic wear. I'd love to have an expert!

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